Tethered
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: She tucked her hand between her head and the glass and stared blindly at the back of the ambulance, willing her partner to be okay. Because if he wasn't, there was no way in hell she would be...


Okay, so how freakin' AMAZING was Untethered? Absolutely beautiful. The only problem I have with it was that we didn't see the rescue scene, or the BobbyAlex reunion, which they both really needed. So here's my take on the rescue scene. Oh, and there is a bit of cussing in this. Alex gets to unsheath her claws. Reowr! Enjoy, and please remember to review!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

I'd like to thank Paige for inspiring and encouraging this whole thing, and InfinityStar for helping me to improve the ending!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Her heart was pounding furiously against her ribcage as she all but leapt out of the chair, ignoring Ross's shouts for her to stop as she barged out of the office. She was going to find her partner and get him the hell out of there, even if it killed her.

As she raced down the corridor filled with identical looking doors and cells, the warden's words rang cruelly in her ears. _Nearly catatonic... Schizophrenic_... It had cut her deeply and painfully when she had been forced to say that her partner had suffered a mental breakdown. She had felt as though she were betraying him, her best friend and partner, by saying those words, since it seemed lately that she was the only person who didn't think he was insane.

She turned another corner, and down at the end of the hall, several men were pushing a wheelchair. As she drew closer, she watched the men pull the form roughly from the wheelchair and tried to force the person through a door, and it hit her. _Oh, God, Bobby..._

One of the men hit her partner, and she broke into a dead run, every precaution and instruction that had been drilled into her head disappearing as she yanked her gun out of her holster. "Get your fucking hands off him!" she ordered, aiming the gun, and the men looked at her in surprise.

The biggest man, who was three times her size and easily three feet taller than her, crossed his beefy arms over his chest and smirked at her. "Look, guys," he said, motioning to Alex. "Little girl with a big gun. I think she wants to play Cops and Robbers. What do you think, boys?"

The other men nodded and growled their replies. The bigger man moved and put his hands on either side of the wall, beside Alex's head. Then he leaned in closer. "I can show you a good time, sweetheart," he panted, and she narrowed her eyes and raised her gun, switching the safety off.

"I suggest you get the hell away from me and my partner, unless you want to lose a limb and your ability to procreate," she hissed, and the smirk on the man's face was wiped clean off.

Silently, he moved aside, and Alex turned, but the men had disappeared, along with her partner. With a growl, she grabbed the sleeve of the beefy man's shirt and shoved him against the wall, her entire body coiled and ready to spring as she shoved the muzzle of the gun against the underside of his chin. "Where did they take him?" she snarled, and the man's Adam's apple bobbled nervously.

"I d-don't know," he stuttered, and she pressed the muzzle further into his skin.

"The hell you don't!" she snapped, her finger itching to pull the trigger. "Tell me where they took him, or they won't be able to clean your brains from the cracks in this wall until next year!"

He saw the fire in her eyes, and he knew that she was telling the truth. She was ready to snap, and he wasn't interested in having his head blown off. "Heaven," he mumbled.

"What the hell are you babbling about?"

"It's a r-room d-downstairs, past Isolation," he muttered, and she loosened her fist a little.

Glaring, she released him, but kept her gun at his jaw. "If they've hurt one hair on his head, I'll be back for you," she growled, slowly lowering the gun. "And next time, I won't be so nice." Then she took off down the hall, leaving the confused and slightly frightened guard holding his neck.

Her chest heaved and her lungs ached, but she didn't slow her run until she finally found the Isolation unit. As she slowed her pace to a jog, a shiver went through her body. That poor man, just a kid really, had been tortured and murdered down here. And there had probably been more before him. He couldn't have been first. This had probably been going on for years, and until Donny, no one had had the guts to stand up and say something about it. And now, her partner might not ever be himself again.

The corridor was empty, and she found herself peering through each and every window, trying desperately to find her missing partner.

Finally she came to the last window, and her heart raced as she peered through the window. _Bobby..._

She grabbed the handle and shoved it, sighing her relief as it easily turned in her hand. Stepping into the room, a wave of nausea pounded into her as her eyes focused on her partner. He was strapped down to the table with leather straps and chains, and he wasn't moving.

_Severe dehydration,_ Rodger's voice rang through her mind, and she slipped over to the table to get a better look. His eyes were red and looked swollen, and his lips were chapped and cracked, an all too visible sign of dehydration. His chest was barely moving, and the fear that it could easily stop gripped her. _Get a grip, Eames,_ a voice in her head ordered, and she closed the distance between herself and her partner.

Willing her hand to stop shaking, she reached out and laid her palm against Bobby's forehead, shuddering at the feel of his clammy skin. Swallowing thickly, she rested her other hand on his chest, over his heart, and murmured, "Bobby? Can you hear me?"

He didn't respond, and she moved her thumb gently over his forehead. "Come on, Bobby. Open your eyes."

Finally he moved slightly beneath her hand, and her breath caught in her throat as he tossed his head to the side and groaned, "Eames..."

She dropped the messenger bag she had been carrying on her shoulder to the floor, then gently framed her partner's face in her hands. "I'm here, Bobby," she whispered. "I'm here, and I'm going to get you out of here. Just open your eyes for me."

Several long moments passed, and finally his eyes flickered open. "E-Eames?" he rasped, and she winced at how hoarse his voice sounded.

Her hand went down to the straps holding his wrist captive, and she fumbled with it as she said, "Right here, partner. I'm right here."

He tried to lick his lips, but his tongue felt heavy, and he turned her head to focus his bleary eyes on her. "S-so... th-thirsty. N-need water..."

Abandoning his wrist, she crouched down and pulled a bottle of water out of her messenger bag. She yanked the cap off, then slid her hand under his neck and carefully raised his head. "Drink slowly," she instructed gently as she held the bottle to his lips, careful not to give him too much at a time.

He took the offered water gratefully.

Finally she gently took the bottle away, murmuring, "That's all for right now. I think you're dehydrated, and you'll get sick if I give you too much." She put the bottle away, then moved down to his legs, which were chained down.

She was distracted with the task in front of her, and she didn't notice when the door slowly opened. But Bobby did, and he instantly cringed, and his muscles locked involuntarily.

She noticed his sudden tension, and she raised her head to look at him. "Bobby, what's-" Her lips curled in a snarl when she saw the two orderlies, and her hand went to her gun.

The smaller of the two nudged the other. "Looks like big guy's got a girlfriend," he mocked, taking a step closer to Alex.

The other nodded. "Sure does, Larry. Maybe we should lock her up, too, because only an insane woman would visit him."

She growled and whipped her gun out, aiming it at the larger man. "You sons of bitches," she snarled, tightening her grip on the gun. "Give me the fucking keys, now!"

The two men exchanged glances, and the smaller one slid his hand to his belt, extracting a ring of keys and taking a step toward Bobby.

She pushed herself between them and snatched the keys out of his hand. "Get the hell out, now!" she ordered, keeping her gun on them until they walked out of the room.

Slowly she slid her gun back into the holster, then turned back to her partner. Resting her palm against his cheek, she murmured, "I'm going to call Ross and tell him where we are, then I'll get these damn things off you, okay?"

He paused a moment before nodding, and she kept her hand on his cheek as she pulled her cell phone out and quickly dialed Ross's number. "Captain? Yeah, I have him. He's okay. We're down in the Isolation wing. These bastards chained him down, but I have the keys. Yeah." She closed the phone and shoved it back into her pocket, then began fumbling with the keys.

He licked his lips again as he watched her try one key, then another. "How did y-you know where I w-was?" he whispered, and she looked at him.

"When you were five hours late calling, I told Ross," she admitted slowly. "We drove all night to get here, and the warden lied through her teeth when we finally talked to her. I tore this entire place up looking for you."

He managed a small smile, and she brushed her hand against his cheek, then pulled out another key. It didn't work, but two keys later, she finally managed to fit a key through the hole, and it turned over easily. She undid the strap and pulled Bobby's hand up, rubbing it lightly before she moved away to the opposite side of the table and freed his other hand.

He raised his arms shakily, then dropped them back to his sides again.

She went to his legs and carefully freed one, then the other. Then she returned to his head and rested her hand on his forehead. "Can you get up, or do you think you need help?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his strength, then attempted to sit up. But as he pushed himself up, his strength gave out, and Alex moved forward fast enough to catch him in her arms, keeping him from hitting his head on the steel table. "Easy, Bobby," she murmured, keeping one protective arm around him. "Just take it easy."

He went completely limp against her, exhausted, and rested his head on her shoulder. "Eames..."

She closed her eyes and let him relax against her. "Shh," she whispered against his ear. "I'm right here. Just... stay right here until Ross gets here."

He didn't even have the strength to nod. So he just stayed in her arms, warm and somewhat content.

The door opened, and Ross stepped inside, shocked at the sight in front of him. Two of his best detectives, one laying in the arms of the other. And for a moment, the rumors went through his mind. But he pushed them away and approached the steel table. Nodding to Bobby, he asked Alex, "Is he okay?"

She jumped a little at Ross's voice, then nodded. "I think so." She looked down at Bobby. "Is the ambulance here yet?"

He nodded and stepped aside, allowing two paramedics to come into the room.

She reluctantly relinquished her partner to them, but kept her hand on his shoulder protectively, almost possessively, as she watched them work.

Finally one of the paramedics said, "Okay, let's get him out of here."

They brought the stretcher in, then carefully lifted Bobby from the steel table onto the stretcher. She started to follow them as they carried him out of the room, but Ross's hand stopped her. She looked at him, her expression one of anger, and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"We'll follow the ambulance," he said firmly, and she had no choice but to follow him, her heart sinking as her partner disappeared from her sight.

Silently, they walked out of the Isolation wing, the sunlight glaring down at her as they exited the building. In the parking lot, she watched with a heavy heart as they loaded her partner into the back of the ambulance. And by the time they were in the SUV and Ross was starting the car, the ambulance was pulling away, and Ross pressed on the gas, staying directly behind the ambulance.

She rested her arm against the door and sighed deeply, praying and hoping Bobby would be fine. He had looked so pale, and it had horrified her. He looked nothing like the quick witted, energetic, quirky, gentle hearted man she had come to know and love.

Her arms felt heavy for some reason, and she drew in a sharp breath, willing the tears not to fall. That was the last thing that she needed. He'd want her to be strong. He would need her to. And she especially didn't want Ross to see her tears.

She tucked her hand between her head and the glass and stared blindly at the back of the ambulance, willing her partner to be okay. Because if he wasn't, there was no way in hell she would be.

The End...

A/N: Well, there ya'll have it. The "Little girl with a big gun," was actually borrowed from another show. And whoever can guess it will get a oneshot of their choice written just for them! I have two more post eps planned for this episode, and the next one will be my take on the hospital reunion. The third is a surprise. So be looking for those! Thanks for reading, and please remember to review!


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